Hey there everyone DJ Dizzy here & I had the pleasure of interviewing a band who call themselves Underdog who had so much to say about their musical beginnings.
How'd you get started in music?
Scott: I started playing piano when I was around 5 or 6 years old. My aunt Dolly, was a piano teacher, so it was a logical choice. I 4th grade I switched to playing trumpet, and went on to college for a year and a half as a music major before dropping out to pursue a band full time. I started playing guitar and bass in my teens, and it pretty much took over my life. I was fortunate that as a kid, my two best friends had much older brothers and sisters, so there was all this great 60s music laying around and being played whenever I was over their horses, which definitely was a huge influence on me going back to elementary school.
Bryn: I developed a fascination with music at an early age. I think I recognized that the sounds of different musical pieces made me feel a certain way. My older sister was influential in exposing me to a broad spectrum of artists. My parents gave me drum lessons when I was nine years old and I played in the school bands and orchestras through high school. I hung out with kids who played instruments so music has always been part of what I do. I played in bands in the D.C. area before moving to Boston where I have continued to forge a music life spanning many decades.
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Scott: The Beatles, Veruca Salt, Mission of Burma, 13th Floor Elevators, Syd Barrett, The Kinks, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Kula Shaker, L7, Velvet Underground, The Who, The Yardbirds, Cream, Led Zeppelin are just scratching the surface of influences and inspirational bands, but also classical music, art, especially paintings. A good book can be a great source of inspiration, or the jumping off point for a song. Sometimes just a news headline, or something you hear on the radio, especially taken out fo context can provide a unique perspective.
Bryn: Numerous artists and bands. Rock' n' Roll, Blues, R&B, Jazz, Funk, old school Country, Folk and Bluegrass.
What advice would offer aspiring performers?
Scott: Most of all, stay true to yourself and what your vision is. Don't feel the need to jump on trends or fads to be popular or be current. If you have something unique to offer, it will shine through. Dare to live outside expectations.
Bryn: Don't pursue music if you think you're going to make big money. Some do, most don't. Practice a lot, play a lot, expose yourself to a wide variety of music. Do it because you love it, and because it feeds your soul.
How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?
Scott: We are a pretty guitar oriented band in a time where it's not the style. We tend to wear our influences on our sleeve, and in some ways we have a late 60s sound, but with a lot more edge to our sound. We like to call it Supersonic music. One of our best friends describes it as "not for the faint of heart..."
Bryn: Dude, we rock. Because of our personal bond and individual and shared histories, the perspective we bring to song writing and playing is singular to Underdog. We make music not for riches and fame, although that would be nice, but because it's part of who we are. Someone once said, "If you don't like what you hear on the radio, make the music you want to hear", so that's kind of what we're doing.
Any new gigs or albums in the future
We are actually just about to release our first album, Ether Dome, in the next week or so. It will be available on all the major streaming platforms, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, Google, etc., We have already started pre-production work new songs for on our follow up album, Trans Global Amnesia, which should be out sometime next year.
Like many other bands, playing live shows at the moment is not really an option, so the gig situation is uncertain. However, we are looking into setting ourselves up to do a LiveStream event this Winter for our fans. We will be in touch once we have things in place for that and can share the details.
Special thanks to them for doing this interview & I wish them lots of luck in their music. So until then I'll catch you on The Flipside! Stay awesome & rock n roll!
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